The term '86'ed originally comes from the 1930s soda counter culture where it was used as a slang for nixing or getting rid of something.
Walter Winchell's 1933 glossary documented ‘eighty-six’ as a term used in soda fountains, illustrating its transition into broader service industry vocabulary.
In contemporary language, to '86' can refer to refusing service to a customer, ditching old habits, or discarding unwanted items, beyond food-related contexts.
Another theory ties the number 86 to the bar scene, where bartenders would '86' visibly drunk patrons, relating directly to whiskey proof measurements in use.
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